It’s not controversial to say that Magic: The Gathering has been experiencing a bit of an identity crisis over the last few years. The rapid rise of Universes Beyond, which brings outside IP characters into the game, is just one part of that. The in-universe MTG sets have seen big changes too, leaning much harder into homage and pastiche than they did in the past. The end result is a game that feels very different from the one many of us fell in love with.
As you’d expect, the game’s designers over at Wizards of the Coast are keenly aware of this. With the game exploding in size and popularity recently, their every decision carries much more weight than it did in the past. All of that in mind, it was reassuring to see Mark Rosewater, the game’s Head Designer, give his thoughts on the current state of in-universe sets in Magic.
The Future Of In-Universe MTG Sets
Rosewater’s statement on in-universe MTG sets came via a Blogatog post yesterday. Responding to a question from honor-basquiat on why The Brothers’ War didn’t perform as well as Tarkir: Dragonstorm is doing now, Rosewater put forward the following:
“My theory is that the increase of Universes Beyond has made players want the in-Multiverse sets to be more nostalgic. In-Multiverse sets don’t have to push boundaries as much now that we have a whole line of Magic sets that do exactly that.”
Mark Rosewater, via Blogatog
There’s a good amount to unpack here, and a lot of it is likely to set off alarm bells in the heads of enfranchised players. Leaning too heavily into nostalgia is a pitfall many franchises have succumbed to in recent years. Failing to push boundaries is, equally, a common modern media problem. That Rosewater proposes a combination of both for future in-universe sets is concerning, to say the least. Perhaps anticipating a backlash, Rosewater quickly clarified his position with a follow-up Blogatog post:
“Yeah, my word choice wasn’t ideal. What I meant is currently players want in-Multiverse sets to feel closer to the core of what Magic is. You all want the in-Multiverse sets to feel “more like Magic”, centered in high fantasy, sticking closer to the feel of Magic sets of old. It’s not that we can’t push boundaries within those constraints. Bloomburrow is a good example of a new world that has the proper feel.”
Mark Rosewater, via Blogatog
To those alarmed by his initial statement above, this is a big relief. Rosewater isn’t, as it initially seemed, advocating for in-universe sets to become creative dead ends. Instead, he’s pushing for sets that capture the old-school Magic feel. What this means exactly differs from player to player, but for the most part, traditional fantasy settings and limitations apply here.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm, the set which prompted this whole discussion, is a great example of this in action. It’s traditional fantasy from top to bottom, complete with warring factions, melee combat, magic, and dragons. It draws from a wider range of cultural influences than classic European fantasy, but the principles remain the same. It’s a grounded, often brutal, world, with real stakes and real drama. There are moments of levity displayed on some cards, to be sure, but no overt jokes or puns. Outside of Stormscale Scion, which gets a pass for being an in-universe meta-joke.
Taking Things Seriously
As the ensuing discussion around Rosewater’s statements proves, this is exactly what players want from in-universe MTG sets. The last year, in particular, has been heavy on sets that do the opposite. From Murders at Karlov Manor to Duskmourn, 2024 was the year of the trope in Magic. The constant barrage of sets like these led the player base to dub them “hat sets,” since they often featured familiar characters in genre-specific hats.
These sets are a far cry from what Magic: The Gathering was built on. Throughout the comments, players noted how much they’d missed the old-school feel that defined so many past expansions. In this context, Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s huge success makes total sense. Coming off the back of so many irreverent, silly expansions in a row, its traditional take on fantasy was a breath of fresh air. That Rosewater has acknowledged this side of things in these statements is very reassuring.
Combined with statements on the amount of jokes/references in sets being toned down, it looks like Magic may be getting back on track. That’s not to say there’ll be no more innovation, of course. As Rosewater notes, it’s perfectly possible for sets like Bloomburrow to expand on the MTG universe without feeling like a jumbled assortment of tropes.
“A set theme doesn’t necessarily have to be “high fantasy”, I just want there to be a distinct and cohesive tone. Less props and jokes, more atmosphere. In fact, a major appeal of Magic was always that it felt like its own thing, not completely derivative.”
Mestyo, via r/MagicTCG
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is another great example, and one that proves Mestyo’s point above. It took an established Magic world and totally overhauled it, while still showing a deep respect for the source material. Ultimately, based on the reactions to both of these statements, people just want to see Magic take itself seriously again. In an age where media in general is suffering from too much “irony poisoning,” this seems like a good direction to take.
A Long Time Coming
Sadly, while this may be exactly what a lot of MTG players want to see, we won’t get it immediately. Looking ahead to the 2025 release calendar and beyond, the next few years of Magic have been set in stone. Up next, we have Edge of Eternities, which could well follow in 2024’s footsteps of being a frustratingly trope-heavy set.
Thankfully, in 2026, we will at least be going back to Lorwyn at long last. We’re also getting a return trip to Arcavios and Strixhaven, which should hopefully be plenty enjoyable. That’s the hope, at least, as there’s no telling exactly what these sets will look like, or how they’ll play.
While there are a few exciting sets on the horizon, Wizards can’t react to new information immediately. Even if Tarkir: Dragonstorm is paving the way for classic feeling sets in the same way that Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty facilitated more return sets, development takes time. Typically, Magic sets spend roughly two years in development, and changing things within that time is difficult.
As a result of this, we may not see any real change until 2027 at the earliest. Even that is somewhat optimistic, since Wizards plans even further ahead when outlining story arcs. Still, even if any changes will take a long time to manifest, it’s comforting to know that Wizards is listening.
At the very least, we finally have a fresh example of what Magic: The Gathering should feel like. We can only hope that Wizards of the Coast actually listens, especially with the increasing presence of Universes Beyond products. Whether or not we’ll actually get what we want, however, ultimately remains to be seen.